Tommy Dorsey
Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. (November 19, 1905 – November 26, 1956) was an American jazz trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era. He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" because of his smooth-toned trombone playing. His theme song was "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You". His technical skill on the trombone gave him renown among other musicians. He was the younger brother of bandleader Jimmy Dorsey. After Dorsey broke with his brother in the mid-1930s, he led an extremely successful band from the late 1930s into the 1950s. He is best remembered for standards such as "Opus One", "Song of India", "Marie", "On Treasure Island", and his biggest hit single, "I'll Never Smile Again". |
Birth and Death Data: Born November 19, 1905 (Shenandoah), Died November 26, 1956 (Greenwich)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1924 - 1953
Roles Represented in DAHR: trombone, director, leader, arranger, composer, songwriter, trumpet, vocalist, speaker, piano
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 26-50 of 931 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | BVE-38607 | 10-in. | 5/6/1927 | Slow river | Jean Goldkette Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, trombone | |
| Victor | CVE-40901 | 12-in. | 11/18/1927 | Washboard blues | Hoagy Carmichael ; Paul Whiteman Concert Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, trombone | |
| Victor | BVE-40937 | 10-in. | 11/23/1927 | Changes | Paul Whiteman Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal trio | instrumentalist, trombone | |
| Victor | BVE-40945 | 10-in. | 11/25/1927 | Mary (What are you waiting for?) | Bing Crosby ; Paul Whiteman Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, trombone | |
| Victor | BVE-41295 | 10-in. | 1/4/1928 | Lonely melody | Paul Whiteman Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, trombone | |
| Victor | BVE-41296 | 10-in. | 1/5/1928 | O, ya ya | Paul Whiteman Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, trombone | |
| Victor | BVE-41297 | 10-in. | 1/5/1928 | Dolly Dimples | Paul Whiteman Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, trombone | |
| Victor | BVE-41607 | 10-in. | 1/11/1928 | Ol' Man River | Paul Whiteman Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, trombone | |
| Victor | BVE-53508 | 10-in. | 5/23/1929 | You can't cheat a cheater | Napoleon's Emperors | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Victor | BVE-59800 | 10-in. | 5/21/1930 | Rockin' chair | Hoagy Carmichael Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal duet | instrumentalist, trombone | |
| Victor | BVE-62301 | 10-in. | 5/21/1930 | Barnacle Bill, the sailor | Hoagy Carmichael Orchestra ; Carson Robison | Jazz/dance band, with 2 male vocal solos and male vocal chorus | instrumentalist, trombone | |
| Victor | BS-95141 | 10-in. | 9/26/1935 | Take me back to my boots and saddle | Tommy Dorsey Orchestra ; Cliff Weston | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, trombone, director | |
| Victor | BS-95142 | 10-in. | 9/26/1935 | Weary blues | Tommy Dorsey Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | director, instrumentalist, trombone | |
| Victor | BS-95143 | 10-in. | 9/26/1935 | On Treasure Island | Tommy Dorsey Orchestra ; Edythe Wright | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | instrumentalist, trombone, director | |
| Victor | BS-95144 | 10-in. | 9/26/1935 | Santa Claus is comin' to town | Tommy Dorsey Orchestra ; Cliff Weston ; Edythe Wright | Jazz/dance band, with female-male vocal duet | director, instrumentalist, trombone | |
| Victor | BS-95145 | 10-in. | 9/26/1935 | I'm gettin' sentimental over you | Tommy Dorsey Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, trombone, director | |
| Victor | BS-95379 | 10-in. | 10/11/1935 | You are my lucky star | Eleanor Powell ; Tommy Dorsey Orchestra | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band and tap dancing | director, instrumentalist, trombone | |
| Victor | BS-95380 | 10-in. | 10/11/1935 | I've got a feelin' you're foolin' | Eleanor Powell ; Tommy Dorsey Orchestra | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band and tap dancing | director, instrumentalist, trombone | |
| Victor | BS-95381 | 10-in. | 10/11/1935 | Got a bran' new suit | Eleanor Powell ; Tommy Dorsey Orchestra | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band and tap dancing | director, instrumentalist, trombone | |
| Victor | BS-95503 | 10-in. | 10/14/1935 | Now you've got me doing it | Tommy Dorsey Orchestra ; Edythe Wright | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | director, instrumentalist, trombone | |
| Victor | BS-95504 | 10-in. | 10/14/1935 | I've got a note | Tommy Dorsey Orchestra ; Cliff Weston | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | director, instrumentalist, trombone | |
| Victor | BS-95505 | 10-in. | 10/14/1935 | That's not cricket | Eleanor Powell ; Tommy Dorsey Orchestra | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band and tap dancing | director, instrumentalist, trombone | |
| Victor | BS-95506 | 10-in. | 10/14/1935 | What a wonderful world | Eleanor Powell ; Tommy Dorsey Orchestra | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band and tap dancing | director, instrumentalist, trombone | |
| Victor | BS-95518 | 10-in. | 10/18/1935 | It's written in the stars | Tommy Dorsey Orchestra ; Edythe Wright | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | instrumentalist, trombone, director | |
| Victor | BS-95519 | 10-in. | 10/18/1935 | One umbrella for two | Tommy Dorsey Orchestra ; Cliff Weston | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, trombone, director |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Dorsey, Tommy," accessed April 28, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103345.
Dorsey, Tommy. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 28, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103345.
"Dorsey, Tommy." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 28 April 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Tommy Dorsey
Discogs: Tommy Dorsey
Allmusic: Tommy Dorsey
Apple Music: Tommy Dorsey
Grove: Tommy Dorsey
IMDb: Tommy Dorsey
Britannica: Tommy Dorsey
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Dorsey, Tommy, 1905-1956 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n81131524
Wikidata: Tommy Dorsey - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q313529
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/2655923
MusicBrainz: Tommy Dorsey - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/b1cfd018-b393-4632-babc-8a343edb4baa
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
Feedback
Send the Editors a message about this record.